This invention relates to entertainment systems and more specifically to housing assemblies integrated into entertainment systems utilized on transportation vehicles.
Today""s world involves numerous situations in which one is required to endure trips of varying distance and time for both pleasure and work reasons. To accomplish these travels a wide assortment of personal and commercial vehicles including automobiles, buses, ships, trains and aircraft are relied upon on a daily basis. For those individuals not operating the respective vehicle, the duration of the trip provides a captive situation which is often addressed by access to wireless broadcast information, such as television, or viewing pre-recorded information stored on the vehicle for playback during the trip. Such systems are often referred to as in-flight or mobile entertainment systems. With advances in electronics in recent years, with respect to size, cost and ruggedness, such in-flight entertainment systems are commonly found in numerous vehicles.
One drawback to the present day utilization of in-flight entertainment systems, is the maintenance associated with the display or monitor stowage and deployment. In order to provide maximum viewing access, the physical location of the display or monitor often subjects the device to excessive stress, both planar and rotational, when deployed. Additionally, the operating environment of such entertainment systems is often characterized by high vibration and deliberate misuse in attempting to deploy or retract the display.
Accordingly, a need exists for an in-flight entertainment system incorporating a display housing system that secures stowage and deployment, while deflecting predictable extreme applied force is highly desirable, and simultaneously incorporating features that accommodate quick replacement of the housed display unit.
The present invention relates to an entertainment system for use in vehicular applications that comprises a mounting system for securing a flat panel display. A mounting assembly is disclosed that comprises a front and a back panel that are rigidly coupled via an integrated cam latch comprising a plurality of matched interlocking extensions along one edge of each of the respective front and back panels.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting system for display monitors for use in passenger vehicles.
It is a feature of the present invention to incorporate an interlocking cam latch for rigidly coupling the flat panel display assembly.
It is an advantage of the present invention that flat panel displays in passenger vehicles can be mounted to withstand incidental extreme forces without the permanent failure of the mounting system, while allowing for rapid replacement of the flat panel display from the housing assembly.
These and other objects, features, and advantages are disclosed in the specification, figures, and claims of the present invention.